09 March 2024 – The Indian Express

Water Crisis in Bengaluru An Alarm for India

• Bengaluru’s water issue is becoming worse, which is causing severe shortages in a number of regions. Reports state that 223 of Karnataka’s 236 talukas—including the districts of Mysuru and Mandya, which supply water to Bengaluru—are experiencing drought.
• Approximately 7,082 communities in Karnataka could experience a drinking water crisis in the upcoming months as the summer heat builds.

What Causes the Extreme Water Scarcity in Bengaluru?

Decreased precipitation and depleted water reservoirs:

• Over the last two monsoon seasons, the city has not received enough rainfall. One of the city’s main water sources, the Cauvery River, has been severely harmed by this. Less water available for agriculture and drinking due to lower river levels.
• From October to December, Karnataka experienced a 38% decrease in north-east Monsoon rainfall. From June to September, the State experienced a 25% shortfall in southwest monsoon precipitation.
• According to data from the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Management Centre (KSNDMC), as of 2024, the water levels in reservoirs located in the Cauvery Basin, such as Harangi, Hemavathi, and Kabini, are 39% full.

Groundwater Source Depletion:

• Because of Bengaluru’s rapid development, natural landscapes that once collected rainfall have now concreted over. As a result, there is less water percolation due to increased surface runoff and less groundwater recharge.
• Boreal wells are used by locals to augment the water supply. But groundwater levels are fast dropping due to excessive extraction and falling rain, which is why many borewells are drying up.

Insufficient Infrastructure:

• The infrastructure of the city, such as the sewage and water supply networks, has not kept up with its explosive growth. The difficulties of effectively distributing water to satisfy the demands of the growing population are made worse by this insufficiency.
• By May 2024, Phase-5 of the Cauvery project—which aims to supply 110 litres of potable water per day to 12 lakh people—should be finished.

Changes in Climate:

• The supply of water in Bengaluru’s reservoirs and natural water bodies has decreased due to changing weather patterns, particularly unpredictable rainfall and protracted droughts, which are linked to climate change.
• El Niño is the reason behind the region’s low rainfall, according to the Indian Meteorological Department.

Contaminating water bodies:

• Water sources have been degraded by pollution from industrial discharge, untreated sewage, and solid waste disposal, making them unsafe for human consumption and further limiting the amount of water that is available.
• According to a research by the Environmental Management & Policy Research Institute (EMPRI), solid waste dumping, sewage, and industrial effluents contaminate nearly 85% of Bengaluru’s water bodies.

Improper Handling and Unfair Distribution:

• The severity of the water scarcity situation is exacerbated by inefficient water management practices, such as leakage, waste, and unfair resource allocation, which leave some communities with an inadequate or inconsistent water supply.

Legal and Political Difficulties:

• The management and security of water resources for the people of Bengaluru are made more difficult by disputes over water sharing between Karnataka and adjacent states, especially with relation to rivers like the Cauvery.
• The federal government and state governments are engaged in a power struggle over how to divide up and allocate monies intended to alleviate the drought situation in Karnataka.

How is India’s groundwater crisis doing right now?

Absence of Access to Water:

• India has 17% of the world’s population, yet it only has 4% of the freshwater resources in the world, hence it is difficult to supply its large population with the water they require.
• According to a June 2018 NITI Aayog report titled “Composite Water Management Index (CWMI),” India was experiencing the worst water crisis in its history, with 600 million people experiencing high to extreme water stress, and 200,000 people dying annually from a lack of access to clean water.

Overuse or Overexploitation of Groundwater:

• India consumes more groundwater than any other country in the world, with an estimated annual use of 251 bcm, or more than 25% of the total.
• Groundwater is an essential resource since it is used in over 60% of irrigated farmland, 85% of drinking water sources, and increasing amounts of industrial and urban areas.
• According to projections, the amount of water available per person will decrease to approximately 1400 m3 by 2025 and even lower to 1250 m3 by 2050.

Groundwater Pollution:

• Pollutants from human activity, including home sewage, such as bacteria, phosphates, and heavy metals, can contaminate groundwater.
• According to the NITI Aayog report, India’s water quality index ranking was 120 out of 122, meaning that almost 70% of the country’s water was contaminated.
• High quantities of iron, nitrate, fluoride, and arsenic are also naturally present in groundwater in some areas of India; these concentrations are expected to increase as water tables drop.

Inability to Get Safe Drinking Water:

• A large number of waterborne illnesses are caused by the lack of access to clean drinking water and proper sanitation for millions of Indians.
• India’s water dilemma is made worse by the country’s extensive open defecation practices, which have negative health effects, and the country’s rising middle class need for clean water.

A few World Bank figures illustrate the predicament the nation finds itself in:

• Safe drinking water is inaccessible to 163 million Indians.
• Better sanitation is inaccessible to 210 million Indians.
• Unsafe water is associated with 21 per cent of communicable infections.
• In India, diarrhoea claims the lives of 500 children under the age of five every day.

Prospects for the Future:

• According to the NITI Aayog assessment, by 2030, the nation’s water demand would double above the availability, resulting in acute shortages for hundreds of millions of people and a potential loss in GDP.
• According to a recent study, the pace of groundwater depletion in India between 2041 and 2080 will be three times higher than it is now due to global warming.
• The researchers discovered that, based on the climate model and Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) scenario, their estimate of Groundwater Level (GWL) reductions from 2041 to 2080 is 3.26 times current depletion rates on average (range 1.62-4.45 times).

What Actions Need to Be Taken to Solve India’s Water Crisis?

Connectivity of Rivers:

• In order to address the issue of water scarcity, the national interlinking of rivers (ILR) proposes that rivers be interconnected so that water from surplus rivers and regions can be moved to deficient regions and rivers.

Encourage the conservation of water:

• It is essential to put water conservation strategies into practice on a personal, local, and national level.
• This entails encouraging rainwater collection, employing effective irrigation methods, and reducing water waste in the residential, commercial, and agricultural domains.

Make an Infrastructure Investment:

• Set aside enough money for the construction, upkeep, and restoration of water infrastructure.
• Investigate cutting-edge finance options for water projects, such as user fees, water tariffs, and public-private partnerships.

Encourage Agriculture That Is Sustainable:

• Encourage farmers to use agroforestry, crop rotation, drip irrigation, precision agriculture, and other water-efficient farming techniques.
• This transition can be facilitated by offering incentives and subsidies for the use of water-saving devices.
• Drip and sprinkler irrigation can save about 50% of the water used in crop cultivation and boost crop yields by 40–60%, according to the MS Swaminathan committee report on “More Crop and Income Per Drop of Water” (2006).

Deal with pollution:

• Enforcing stringent rules on industrial discharge, sewage treatment, and agricultural runoff would help combat water contamination.
• Reducing pollution in rivers, lakes, and groundwater sources can be achieved by the installation of wastewater treatment plants and the adoption of environmentally friendly policies.

Governance and Law:

• Enacting and upholding laws, regulations, and other water-related measures will strengthen frameworks for water governance.
• Coordinated decision-making and the application of water management plans can be facilitated by the establishment of local, regional, and national water management agencies.
• Reducing the strain on agricultural water consumption can be achieved by introducing minimum support policies for crops that use less water.

Engagement with the Community:

• Groundwater management can be enhanced by bolstering community rights and participation in groundwater governance.
• By using the Participatory Groundwater Management approach (PGM), World Bank programmes for groundwater governance in peninsular India were effective on multiple fronts.

Use the One Water Approach:

• The idea that all water has value, regardless of its source, is known as the One Water Approach, or Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM).
• For the benefit of the environment and the economy, it entails managing that source in an integrated, inclusive, and sustainable way that involves the community, industry leaders, businesspeople, farmers, environmentalists, legislators, academics, and others.
• India can lead the way towards a future in which every Indian has access to safe and dependable groundwater by encouraging inclusive engagement from all stakeholders and putting in place sensible policies that put long-term sustainability ahead of short-term benefits.